Professional Documents
Culture Documents
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Section 1. An Introduction to Community Conversations
Engaging your Community through Dialogue Public Agendas Community Conversation Model Outcomes of Past Community Conversation Initiatives page 3 page 4 page 6
Appendices
Appendix 1: Participant Survey (in English and Spanish) Appendix 2: Moderator/Recorder Guide (in English and Spanish) Appendix 3: Host Guide page 45 page 55 page 83
Follow-Up
It is important that a Community Conversation be part of a process that includes action and follow-up. If it is only a single meeting that comes and goes, with no discernible connection to decision makers or policy on the ground, then it will have been of little value. Thus, a major focus of this guide is how to connect these dialogues to action through effective follow-up activities.
Report Out (large group) Moderators or participants share highlights from each group Host discusses plans to follow up on the conversation
San Jose, CA
In San Jose, CA, community engagement activities by the district and its community partners began with a series of focus groups with parents, students and teachers (including two Spanish-language groups) and a district-wide Community Conversation on Academic Standards and Expectations. In response, the district raised graduation requirements and developed an action plan to increase parental involvement. Additionally, it put in place a variety of engagement mechanisms, including annual neighborhood conversations on a range of school-related issues, an annual survey of students and parents, a monthly brown bag lunch where anyone can show up to join the superintendent for a discussion about education issues, and an e-mail complaint/suggestion process for parents. It institutionalized its commitment to community engagement by splitting its Communications Department into two functions, one being traditional communications and the other devoted to community engagement.
Steubenville, OH
In 2006, Jefferson Community College (JCC) and several community partners hosted a Community Conversation on Student Success as part of the Achieving the Dream initiative. The initial conversation led to several concrete recommendations and actions by the college. Responding to recommendations that the college expand its outreach efforts to area high school students, the college expanded its advising/recruitment staff to include two JCC graduates who visit high schools on behalf of the college. Another recommendation of the conversation was to strengthen connections between high school and college faculty. In response, the college expanded its High School Teacher Expo, an annual event where teachers come to the college to visit and hear classroom presentations by college faculty. Participation since the conversation has grown from 25 to 60 teachers annually. A second Community Conversation, held in October 2008, resulted in the establishment of a new college-school committee to plan further steps to improve college readiness and school-college partnerships.
Gallup, NM
A College-and-Community Leadership Team was established at the University of New Mexico in Gallup, NM to engage the community and implement actions in support of community college student success. The team created a historical time line representing the first merged history for the Gallup area which includes the Native tribes, as well as the Hispanic and Anglo legacy in the region. The timeline was shared with the public schools and will be utilized in history courses at the community college. The Team held its first Talking Circle in 2008 and the college established a Student Success Committee to address the recommendations made by participants. The college also applied for a U.S. Department of Education grant focusing on implementing some of the interventions on campus suggested at the Talking Circle and cited the Conversation in support of its application. The grant would fund the development of culturally relevant curriculum, the establishment of College Success centers in the region and the hiring of high school and college students to serve as tutors at these centers.
McAllen, TX
South Texas Community College and its community partners have held two Community Conversations, one largely with business and educator participation and another with primarily community, student and family participation. This work has led to a video production program to create material to put on PBS to stoke motivation and provide information around college readiness. The college president has also formed and leads a taskforce to raise funds for adult basic education courses and GED- acquisition, and some of this work is reaching across the border to partner with Mexican institutions. The community engagement work has also led to the creation of an Instruction Research Team to examine ways of addressing instructor attitudes that have been identified as barriers to student success. The college is institutionalizing and broadening its community outreach and partnerships via a newly formed Community Engagement Department, a community engagement blog and a new partnership with the National Hispanic Institute to engage high school students and their parents on college readiness issues.
TIP
Use a variety of methods to recruit members, and keep in mind that a personal invitation is often the best.
Plan for about 5-10 different community organizations/institutions to join the planning team, which should have about 12-20 members. Your organization may have a community relations officer of some kind, and it will likely make sense to include that person. Beyond this, whom might you recruit to the initiative? Depending on what issue you are focusing on and which key stakeholders you wish to target, you may want to consider approaching the following potential community partners: Local businesses or the Chamber of Commerce. The local K12 public school district and/or local two- and four-year colleges. Local service organizations, such as a local chapter of the Urban League, the YMCA, religious institutions, etc. Local government officials. Respected active citizens who have worked with you in the past, or with whom you would like to develop a relationship. A local foundation or philanthropic initiative in your community.
This is a great opportunity to reach out to organizations and potential partners with whom you may not have worked with in the past. It is very important to create a true team of people who will take responsibility for various aspects of the work involved. Both your Community Conversation and your long term possibilities for follow-up work will benefit. It takes some extra planning up front to bring a good mix of community interests on board, but it is worth the time to make this a true community effort. Its a good idea to consider some unlikely partners: people and organizations of different experiences, backgrounds and maybe political leanings. Planners do not have to agree on politics or policy, as long as they agree that community dialogue is an important way to help tackle community challenges. Its critical to think about who will be able to implement the action ideas that emerge from the conversation and to involve them from the beginning.
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Think about involving informal leaders who may not have a title or an official position but are respected and trusted in their community.
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Agenda
4:00-4:30pm Introductions/Opening Remarks Review Todays Agenda 4:30-5:00pm Community Conversations An Engagement Strategy for Change Intro to: Community Conversation Model Community Conversation Structure Choicework Video and Discussion Starter Watch Community Conversations communications video What results typically come out of a Community Conversation? What are the results we want for our community? 5:00-5:30pm Planning for the Results We Want: Strategic Decisions Strategic Decision 1: Creation of Planning Team and other sponsors Strategic Decision 2: Customizing the Conversation Content Remaining Strategic Decisions 5:30-6:00pm 6:00-6:30pm Break and Dinner/Refreshments Planning for the Results We Want: Critical Tasks Critical Task 1: Recruiting Participants Critical Task 2: Recruiting Moderators and Recorders 6:30-7:00pm Critical Task 3: Nuts and Bolts Critical Task 4: Managing Communications and Strategic Follow Up 7:00-7:20pm Confirm Workgroups, Discuss Next Steps Review Strategic Decisions and Planning Timeline 7:20-7:30pm Final Questions and Wrap Up
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After the initial Planning Workshop, members of the Planning Team should try to meet or communicate regularlyideally once a weekto make sure planning stays on track and to give the workgroups an opportunity to share their progress with the whole group as well as voice questions and concerns. Its up to each workgroup to decide how often they need to meet to accomplish their tasks. It is a helpful practice to designate someone as the primary liaison and coordinator for the Planning Team. And it usually makes sense to divide the responsibilities among five main workgroups (see Community Conversations Organizers Chart below) so that no one person or organization bears the entire burden. Each workgroup should also have someone play the role of liaison to the Planning Team.
Planning Team
Logistics Workgroup
Moderators/Recorders Workgroup
Recruiting Participants Should be composed of diverse members with knowledge of, and standing in, the various sectors of the community you wish to recruit. Implements recruitment plan, including distributing fliers, making follow-up phone calls. Keeps track of participant registration in advance of event; pre-assigns registered participants to small discussion groups. Organizing the Nuts and Bolts (Logistics) Selects/secures location for the Community Conversation. Coordinates meal and meal-related needs. Ensures that all necessary equipment and supplies are prepared and in place. Sets event timeline and oversees day-of-event staffing, including: participant registration, equipment and venue set-up/clean-up, and provides support and troubleshooting to other workgroups. Managing Moderators, Recorders and Host Recruits and plans training for moderators and recorders. Plans and manages moderating needs for all opening and closing plenary sessions, which should be coordinated with the Logistics workgroup. Coordinating Strategic Communications and Follow-up Creates basic communications tools and products, such as talking points for recruiting participants, a flier/invitation to the event, a pitch letter to explain the event to potential partners and allies. Manages media relations. Creates a post-forum summary report and leads post-forum communications with participants. Communicates with participants about action opportunities both before and after the event (for instance, making people aware of organizations and events relevant to the forums theme), organizing follow-up task forces that forum participants can join and so forth.
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Examples of Part 2: Bridging from Dialogue to Action discussion topics: How can our community work together to make progress on this issue? Our community is about to implement a new initiative. Wed like to tell you about it, get your feedback and see if there are ways youd like to participate. What specific strategies should our community leadership adopt that would make the greatest impact on the issue at hand, and how can community members be involved?
In this way, the conversation will combine materials that have been tested in focus groups and previous conversations (that is, the Choicework) with enough customization to make sure each community can adapt the proceedings to best fit its situation and goals. We believe that balancing both these elements (pretested materials and customization) offers the best recipe for successful conversations.
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How Can You Make the Conversation Accessible for Everyone Who Wants to Attend?
Of course, youll want the conversation to be held in a well-known, accessible location that people will feel comfortable visiting during whatever time of day the meeting takes place. What else can you do to make it possible for virtually everyone to attend? Can you, for instance, provide some assistance for participants with transportation and/or with child care? Of course, there are limits to how far organizers can go to make things accessible. Time and money can be factors. Depending on the facility, there may not be appropriate space for child care. But these are questions you will want to think about.
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TIP
If you do include observers, inform your moderators so theyll be ready. Assign observers to specific discussion groups so no one room is overloadedno more than two or three observers per room is a good rule of thumb. Make sure chairs are set up for observers outside the circle of participants. It is also important to brief observers about whats expected of themthat they are invited as distinguished guests and are asked to observe and not participate (explain why) during the small group discussion.
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Be ready for press inquiries that might come your way. Consider preparing a brief, clear statement or series of talking points about the purpose of the forums, the sponsors and organizers, when and where theyll occur and so forth. Share talking points with all those on the Planning Team likely to encounter the press. For an example, see page 15.
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The most important issue related to the media is how to protect the quality of the conversations. Participants who see the press in attendance may feel less comfortable expressing themselves or advocating a position. One way to handle this is with a simple ground rule that reporters usually agree to abide by: Reporters may report what they hear, but they may not attribute quotes to individuals unless they speak to that person following the meeting and the person agrees to be quoted.
TIP
Occasionally, a reporter or member of the media may show up unannounced to the conversation. Make sure you prepare the moderators for this possibility and let them know that if this happens, they should explain the ground rules to the reporter and secure an agreement to abide by them; also make sure there are no objections within the small discussion group itself.
If the media are present under these conditions, the moderator should inform the group at the outset. The same ground rules that you lay out for reporters can also be applied to bloggers, should you have any who wish to attend and blog the discussion, either during or after the event.
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10-12 weeks before Community Conversation Establish the Planning Team, schedule an initial Planning Workshop 8-10 weeks before Community Conversation Planning Team members attend Planning Workshop Set date, location of Community Conversation Define scope of community, choose/customize conversation topic Decide on media and observer policy, address other strategic considerations Planning Team members join one of four workgroups; workgroups begin their tasks 4-6 weeks before Community Conversation Extend invitations to participants and observers (via mail, email, in-person, etc) Recruit moderators and recorders Secure location, food, other logistics Planning Team and workgroups meet as needed 3-4 weeks before Community Conversation Continue recruiting participants, using targeted outreach to assure a diverse participant group Begin initial contact with media (if appropriate) Planning Team and workgroups meet as needed 1 week before Community Conversation Hold Moderator/Recorder Training Make reminder calls to participants Finalize all logistics Finalize opening and closing plenary plans, decide who will handle questions, etc. HOLD COMMUNITY CONVERSATION
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POST-COMMUNITY CONVERSATION PLANNING TIMELINE 1 day after Community Conversation Planning Team meets to debrief (moderators and recorders may attend as well) 1-3 weeks after Community Conversation Send thank-you letter/email to participants Invite participants to join online discussion network for ongoing discussion (if appropriate) Follow-up workgroup (or entire planning team) meets to plan follow-up actions Analyze small group discussion outcomes, compile evaluation results Create summary report, send to participants Share report with appropriate parties, begin next steps in planning process 1+ month after Community Conversation Create recommendations memo or other follow-up action plan Report to participants about what actions have been taken, what impact the conversation has had
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TIP
Sending personalized invitations and making phone calls help you target your prospective participants, and open the group to more than just the usual suspects that is, those people who show up at every public meeting on your issue.
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Ask that people RSVP if they plan on attending. This pre-registration will help you keep track of how many participants to expect. It will also help you ensure greater diversity among participants since you will be able to track who is coming. Over-recruit those participants least likely to come. At the same time, each person should be invited as an individual, bringing his or her own points of view, rather than purely as a representative of a group. In addition to personal outreach, it is a good idea to send written invitations. This helps people feel they are being included in something special. Communicate that the meeting is differentmore interesting, engaging and welcoming than most community forums or meetings. Also communicate that the meeting matters and that the organizers are going to use the results to improve policies and support new initiatives in the community.
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When potential participants hear about the Community Conversation frequently and in myriad contexts, they will be more likely to participate. Generating a buzz through the media will help with this and can be even more powerful when its supported by word-of-mouth, flyers and advertisements.
Setting up a web site about the conversation is a good idea. Many communities found this as an easy way for participants to RSVP for the event. There are numerous online services that can help you offer participants the option of registering online or you can create your own website.
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TIP
An invitation delivered by phone or in-person is the #1 way to ensure a yes. If youve sent an invitation via email, be sure to follow up with a phone call.
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Other Materials
Other materials you might consider including in a packet for participants are an agenda to the event and the names of sponsors, organizers and moderators. However, we suggest keeping these packets relatively clutter-free.
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Part 2 of this section address the tasks requiring day-of-event coordination, including: Making sure all equipment is in place for plenary and small group meetings. Registration/Check-in of participants. Providing general support and troubleshooting to other workgroups.
Part 1. Organizing and Planning in Advance Selecting a Location for the Conversation(s)
Youre looking for a location that is welcoming, not particularly controversial and relatively easy to find and travel to. Additionally, the location must be able to handle the space needs of a broad-based Community Conversation, with: A dining area for up to 100 to 125 participants. A large room (can be the same as the dining area or different) for the opening and closing plenary sessions. Breakout group rooms that are easily and quickly accessible and can accommodate about 12 to 18 persons each. Such rooms must be able to have seating arranged in a circle or semicircle. Enough restrooms in the building for all attendees. Appropriate space and personnel if childcare is to be provided.
Providing Meals
Offering a meal before the conversation begins is a great way to set a relaxed and friendly tone and carries symbolic weight as people who may be on different sides of an issue or from different parts of town break bread together. (Its also possible to end the event with a meal; serving it as you begin the closing plenary session.) You may be able to find local merchants or civic groups willing to donate food or utensils or volunteers who will offer to serve or clean up.
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Registration Long rectangular table and chairs for registration staff Registration/check-in sheets to keep track of participants as they arrive Blank sheets for walk-ins to complete on-site registration Name tags for participants, name tags for staff, pens, markers, etc. Information packets for participants containing the Participant Guide, Participant Survey
and any other supplementary materials you choose.
Other: Dining area Tables for serving food Tables and chairs for eating Plates, forks, knives, napkins, garbage cans, etc. Other: Central discussion room (may also be used for one of the small group discussions) Podium and microphone Optional: Seating, if more than one speaker Optional: PowerPoint set up, if a brief presentation is to be made at opening and/or
closing plenary sessions
Other: Breakout rooms TV monitor and DVD player if using video discussion starter Flip chart, markers, masking tape (or self-stick flip chart) Movable chairs set up in a circle, semicircle or horseshoe Stickers in the shape of dots, stars, etc. for the moderators to
give to participants during the prioritizing action items part of the discussion
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Make sure someone is present to troubleshoot any audiovisual equipment you will be using.
Other:
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Moderator
Registration
When participants arrive at the Community Conversation, they should check in at a registration table. At the table, they should receive a Participant Guide, Participant Survey, program or agenda and nametag indicating their small group assignment. A task that this workgroup and the workgroup coordinating participant recruitment can share is assigning participants among the breakout groups and preparing a list of preregistered participants for use at the registration table. The Participant Registration List should be divided into three or four sections by last name, with each section having roughly the same number of participants (i.e. A-F, G-L, M-R, S-Z). Print signs for each of the sections so that participants will know which line to join at the registration table.
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At least four people will be needed to work the registration table at the Community Conversation. Arrange the registration table so that each volunteer is given a unique section of the registration list and is seated near a sign indicating which section s/he is registering. For instance, the volunteer with the section of the list covering participants with last names beginning in A-F should be near a sign reading A-F. Additionally, one volunteer should be responsible for checking in unregistered participants. Each volunteer should have a pen or pencil to mark off participants as they arrive as well as a stack of name tags and markers for participants to fill out with their name and small group number. If you have pre-printed nametags, you can lay them out alphabetically on the registration table for participants to find themselves. As participants register, volunteers should check them off on the registration list. This will help the planning team estimate how many people attended the Community Conversation. Participants who show up unregistered or whose names do not appear on the registration list should be randomly assigned to a small group. Again, one volunteer should be responsible for registering unregistered participants and for assigning them to small groups. Try to distribute unregistered participants evenly across small groups. BE SURE TO CAPTURE THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION. A blank registration sheet should be available for this purpose. Without their contact information, you will be unable to follow up with them after the Community Conversation. At the end of the evening, one member of the logistics workgroup should be responsible for gathering all of the sections of the registration list as well the registration sheet with contact information for additional participants. After the event, record who attended the conversation on your master electronic version of the registration list and to add the information of the participants who were not on the list. This will help ensure that you can stay in touch with participants to provide them with a summary of the conversation, update them on progress and invite them to get involved in any subsequent activities.
TIP
A note on walk-ins: Its always possible that youll have some people who are not preregistered (and thus assigned to a specific group) but wish to participate. Assuming you are not approaching your locations maximum capacity, the best way to handle walk-ins is to distribute them randomly among the small discussion groups.
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You will need moderators with the following skills, knowledge and background: Group facilitation skills/experience, especially in working with diverse groups and with the general public (as opposed to working only with professionals). Ability to create an environment in which participants feel safe and comfortable expressing their views. Ability to help people articulate the reasoning, experiences and values behind their positions. Ability to challenge participants (in a friendly, civil way) to consider alternate viewpoints. Comfort with and ability to manage group conflict. Ability to take a nonpartisan moderating stance. Successful Moderating Strategies: 1. Bring new voices into the discussion be sure that everyone gets to speak (without pressuring) 2. Occasionally sum up and focus the discussion 3. Probe when needed to get beneath the surface or introduce arguments that may have been overlooked (while remaining nonpartisan)
Nonpartisan credibility. Some people may be able to 4. Point out tensions between different points of view moderate in a nonpartisan manner but, because of past associations, will not be viewed in that light by members of the group. Some general familiarity with the issue at hand, although expertise is not required. This attribute is less important than the others.
Some diversity. Ideally, the moderator team overall will roughly reflect the demographics of the community, so it is often a plus to have some diversity of race, ethnicity, gender and the like among the moderators.
Moderators have been drawn from among the following backgrounds: Businesspeople, including trainers and consultants. Educators, social workers and others in community service. Qualitative researchers. Therapists and counselors. Mediators and people trained in conflict resolution. Clergy, including pastoral counselors.
Recruiting Recorders
The recorders also play a crucial role and should be carefully selected and trained. Recorders must be able to quickly summarize the main points in the discussion and write them legibly enough for all to see. Like moderators, they must be nonpartisan, trusted to record all ideas, not just those they agree with.
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Ideally, recorders will attend the moderator/recorder training session. If recorders are not able to attend, they should be fully briefed and should meet with their moderators prior to the conversation to clarify roles and tasks, create a sense of teamwork and avoid last minute confusion. If a recorder is unable to attend the moderator/recorder training, it is important that he or she be supplied with a guide and be fully briefed on the following: The purpose of the Community Conversation. The structure of the meeting and the recorders role. Exactly what recorders are expected to do during each phase of the small group discussion.
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See Appendix 2 for a basic version of the Moderator/Recorder Guide in English and Spanish.
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Part 2. Managing the Opening and Closing Plenary Sessions and the Role of the Community Conversation Host
A Community Conversation should open and closes with plenary (whole group) sessions that sandwich the breakout dialogue groups. Each plenary session is about twenty minutes in length. The opening plenary session is devoted to welcoming participants, giving them an overview of the proceedings, providing them with basic information and background and offering some words of encouragement. The closing plenary session is for brief, efficient reports from each breakout group, information on follow-up activities, thanking participants and making sure participant surveys are filled out. While numerous people may be involved in making remarks at the opening and closing plenary sessions, its a good idea to have a master of ceremonies, or host, as the main facilitator. The host is often a lead member of the Planning Team or a prominent member of the community who is good at this kind of thing. Try to choose someone charismatic and energizing. A Host Guide providing guidelines to managing the opening and closing plenary sessions may be found in Appendix 3.
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You can build on these to create more materials as needed. The talking points should convey factual information about the conversation as well as the intent behind it. These should be distributed to everyone on the Planning Team, to help them talk about the event. (You can begin with the talking points outlined on page 15 of this guide.) A basic flyer should provide a succinct, visually appealing presentation of the event that you can use to generate interest and buzz as well as recruit participants. Finally, a pitch letter should contain everything in your talking points, but in a more personal manner. Depending on its recipient, the letter should be tailored to focus on why you think whoever is receiving the letter should be interested in participating, donating food, observing the conversation and so forth. You can also consider creative ideas to get messages across, such as the use of T-shirts, bumper stickers, coffee mugs and ads on local restaurant menus, on the community television channel, etc.
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Online Communications
You may want to consider if there are ways to use a community Web site to create an interactive means of communication about the conversation and its aftermath. Social networking platforms like Facebook and Ning can be useful tools for connecting conversation participants following the Community Conversation itself.
The Media
Media relations were covered as one of the strategic considerations discussed in section 3, and members of this workgroup should review that discussion. It is the responsibility of the Communications/Follow-up workgroup to implement any decisions by the Planning Team as to media relations.
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Beyond these basic steps, the Planning Team might consider the following: Creating action task forces to plan and promote specific policies or new initiatives based on important directions for action that emerged from the Community Conversation. o For instance, the idea of creating a closer partnership among community-based organizations may have emerged as a hot idea in the conversation. A task force could be formed to create an action plan with representatives from each of the relevant organizations plus volunteers from the Community Conversation. Or perhaps the idea emerged of creating a community foundation to support special initiatives related to the issue discussed. A task force or study group could be formed devoted to researching and promoting such an initiative.
Continuing and expanding the dialogue that was begun in the Community Conversation on the Internet or through a newsletter.
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Providing needed information: One category of outcome produced by this conversation process is to identify questions people have, areas where they want more information. For instance, they may have questions about a specific policy or practice, what data says about the issue or how other communities have solved certain problems. There are often items here that are easy to respond to, and the organizers should do so after a Community Conversationit is an important sign of good faith on the part of the organizers and shows participants that someone is addressing their questions. Convening a leadership session to react to some of the results of the deliberations. o For instance, a community leadership team could meet following Community Conversations and issue a response.
Conducting a focus group to better understand some of the areas of disagreement that were identified at the meeting and how you might help people work through them. This can lead to new ideas for future forums and other kinds of community action. Taking advantage of the fact that many people simply want to help in any way they can after a Community Conversation and may be open to volunteering or raising money for a new or ongoing initiative related to the issue at hand. It is important to capitalize on this energy and motivation as quickly as possibleafter all, most of us lead busy lives, and good intentions are easily overtaken by the events of daily life.
There is, of course, no single right way to do this. The question is, what would be a good approach for community?
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partly because good opportunities for citizens to engage in productive dialogue that contributes to solutions and organizes action are hard to come by. Community Conversations are inclusive community events that go beyond the usual suspects to bring diverse stakeholders together address a pressing issue. Rather than lectures by experts or gripe sessions by angry constituents, well-designed Community Conversations create a frank, productive problem-solving process in which diverse ideas are put on the table, diverse participants sit at the table, and people work together to find common ground and shared solutions. Such conversations are best thought of as a step toward better communication, collaboration and problem solving on important challenges facing the community. 4. Day of event, location, number/type of attendees, etc. II. Deliberation Summary 1. Key Areas of Common Ground 2. Concerns or Disagreements 3. Outstanding Questions 4. Priorities for Action (This section can begin to elaborate on key points) 5. Whats next? In addition to summarizing the participant discussions from the conversation, it is the responsibility of the Planning Team to identify which ideas for action might be most effectively pursued by participants (i.e. which ideas could be pursued without needing more resources), ideas that touch on existing resources that people may be unaware of, ideas that connect with the missions of the sponsoring coalitions current efforts, etc. The goal is to help identify the low-hanging fruit or those opportunities for follow-up activities that would be comparatively easy to develop. Additionally, you might also want to identify some more ambitious actions that would require new resources, or decisions by local leaders who will need to be convinced i.e., things that cannot be acted upon right away but are worth pursuing overtime. But unquestionably youll want to identify those actions that can be addressed right away by participants, organizers and, if possible, local officials. Announcing an action plan to participants and inviting them to get involved is a great way to conclude a summary report.
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Remember, it makes sense to hold a forum only on a topic about which people feel a sense of urgency and where there are important community issues to work out. What did you learn about this from your first series of Community Conversations? Remember as well that Public Agenda has discussion frameworks prepared on various issues that could be useful to you in your follow-up work. All of our discussion starters can be found on our website at www.publicagenda.org/publicengagement and click on Choicework Discussion Starters. If you choose a topic other than ones we have materials prepared for, youll need to frame the issue for productive discussion. This is something you might try to do yourselves, or you might want some outside help. For example, Public Agenda offers a one-day workshop on framing issues for public deliberation.
Keep in mind:
Choose a topic that is of strong interest to the community. One way to get at this is to make a list of discussion topics that relate to issues on the community leaderships agenda. Then make a list of the topics that relate to the concerns of average community
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members. The overlap between the two lists is a good place to look for first conversation topicsif you choose a topic that is of strong interest to both the leadership and the community generally, more people will be motivated to engage in the process. Choose an issue where public input and involvement can make a real difference. For instance, if a new statewide policy will be affecting funding for some community initiative the day after your forum, it may not make sense to use that topic, as the discussion could immediately become outdated. On the other hand, if the community is in the process of developing new plans for a new initiative, then public input and involvement can have very direct pay-offs. Remember that its possible to customize the topic of an existing Choicework guide to take local issues into account. Specific probes and questions can be built into the moderator and participant materials to help people engage in themes that may not be included the video or print materials.
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What Were the Weaknesses Last Time, and How Can You Address Them?
No one needs to tell you that public engagement is challenging and every session will have had its strengths and weaknesses. How would you assess yours? What can you do to be more successful next time? What new strategies might be employed?
Should you decide to change the formula, please feel free to bounce your ideas off of us. We may have tried something and failed already, and you might as well hear about that sooner rather than later. That said, we have every reason to believe that you can improvise on the approach in ways that work well for your situation, and we look forward to learning from any experiments you conduct. Good luck!
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This survey will provide more information on your views and feedback on how to make future meetings more successful. Please hand it in before you leave. Please indicate which small group you were in: 1. Do you have any additional thoughts about todays topic, something you didnt say earlier and would like to say now? If so, what is it?
2. How should we follow up on todays meeting? (Please select your top two ideas for follow-up.)
More discussions like this in other parts of the community or with other participants.
If so, where or with whom?
3. How often have you attended group discussions or public meetings in the past?
Very useful Somewhat useful Not very useful Not useful at all
Very useful Somewhat useful Not very useful Not useful at all
Comment (optional):
11. Do you have any suggestions for improving the meeting format?
12. Can you think of any specific groups or individuals who did not attend todays meeting who you think would like to be invited in the future? If so, please list below.
[Questions 13-17 are for research purposes only] 13. What is your occupation?
14. What is your gender? Female Male 15. Age (please check one): Under 18 18-24 25-44 45-64 65+
16. Please indicate the highest level of education you completed (check one): Did not finish high school High school graduate/GED Some college Completed college 17. Are you of Hispanic/Latino descent?
Yes No
18. How would you describe your racial background?
White Black, African or African American Asian or Pacific Islander Native American or Alaska Native Other:
19. Would you like to be informed about activities designed to follow up on todays dialogue?
Yes No
If you said Yes to question 19, please fill out the contact information below. You may tear it off and hand it in separately if you wish so your earlier answers remain confidential.
CUESTIONARIO DE PARTICIPANTES
Lugar: Fecha:
Sus respuestas al cuestionario nos ayudarn a mejorar la forma en que llevaremos a cabo los dilogos con la comunidad en un futuro. Por favor, entrguelo antes de salir. Por favor indique el grupo pequeo en el que usted estuvo participando: 1. Tiene alguna sugerencia adicional sobre el tema que discutimos el da de hoy? Algo que no tuvo oportunidad de mencionar y le gustara decir? Si es as por favor mencinelo a continuacin.
2. Cmo deberamos dar seguimiento a la reunin de hoy? (Por favor seleccione dos de las ideas que se mencionan a continuacin).
Mas discusiones como esta en otras partes de la comunidad o con otros participantes.
Si as es, con quien?
12. Qu grupos o personas que no participaron en la reunin de hoy usted considera deben ser invitados en el futuro?
[Las preguntas 13 a 17 sern utilizadas para obtener datos estadsticos nicamente] 13. Cul es su ocupacin principal?
14. Cul es su gnero? Mujer Hombre 15. Edad (por favor marque una): Baja 18 18-24 25-44 45-64 65+
16. Por favor indique el nivel de la educacin que ha adquirido. Marque una: No gradu la secundaria Gradu de la escuela secundaria/ Recib el Diploma de Educacin General Unos estudios universitarios Termin la universidad 17. Es usted de origen hispano o latino?
Si No
18. Cul es su origen?
Blanco Afro Americano Asitico o Asitico Americano Indio Norte Americano o Nativo de Alaska Otro:
19. Quiere mantenerse informado de actividades futuras?
Si No
Si su respuesta a la pregunta 19 fue Si, por favor proporcione sus datos personales a continuacin. Usted puede desprender esta hoja y entregarla por separado si usted lo desea, para que sus respuestas sean annimas.
MODERATOR/RECORDER GUIDE
About This Guide
This guide was designed by to be used by moderators and recorders at Community Conversations in conjunction with dialogue materials specially designed by Public Agenda to facilitate dialogue among diverse groups. Public Agendas dialogue materials present several alternative approaches to the issue at hand, different ideas for people to weigh and talk about, or what Public Agenda calls Choicework. This is an effective way to give regular citizens a structure for engaging a complex issue. It allows people to sort through competing values, trade-offs and practical challenges. And because it is presented in clear, jargon-free language, the structure allows virtually anyone to participate and find his or her own voice in the conversation. This guide will help moderators and recorders understand their roles and lead them through the discussion process step by step.
Goals of Dialogue
The primary goal of this Community Conversation is to create a productive dialogue among a diverse cross section of community members that will: Open up lines of communication within the community. Share ideas and perspectives about how to address the issue at hand. In doing so, you will work specifically to identify areas of common ground, clarify disagreements and identify questions and concerns.
Brainstorm and prioritize the ways in which the community can work together to make progress on the issue at hand.
Other important moderating objectives: Creating an environment where people are comfortable expressing ideas.
These sessions are carefully designed to foster an environment in which people can honestly explore their thinking and the opinions of others and engage in constructive and stimulating dialogue about an important public concern. The moderator can contribute by establishing a relaxed but focused tone for the session and modeling honest and straightforward, yet civil and respectful communication.
Helping people examine their own views, understand the views of others and communicate effectively about the issues with diverse members of the community.
In post-conversation surveys, most participants state that they heard views different from their own position which had merit, and that they reconsidered one of their own positions at least once. Moderators can facilitate these outcomes by encouraging people to examine their views, to articulate and explain them clearly, and to hear (and perhaps respond to) the views of others.
Clarifying, and advancing, the local state of the debate on the issue at hand.
Again, the aim is not to achieve perfect consensus. Rather, it is to facilitate a positive and stimulating conversation among equals that allows views to be articulated and examined. In this way we hope the dialogue will clarify: Areas of common ground. Important concerns or disagreements that will require continued dialogue. Outstanding questions that deserve further attention. Ways the community can work together to make progress on this issue at hand.
The remainder of this guide will work you through each section of the conversation in detail.
Time: _______to_______
A. Group Orientation
Moderator makes a few brief, opening remarks, explaining: Who you are and what your role is. Why we are meeting (reinforcing what was said in the opening plenary session). Whats going to happen in the small group.
B. Introductions
Have a brief round of introductions. We recommend making a seating chart so you know who is sitting where as you manage the discussion. Note if someone is a local official, a parent, a local business owner, a student and so on. This will help you manage the conversation, especially early on while youre working to get everyone involved. Note: If a recorder has not been prearranged, youll need to find a volunteer.
C. Ground Rules
Cover any simple ground rules you might want to apply to the discussion. For example, you might say something along these lines: Lets all work together to keep the conversation on track and to make sure everyone has an equal chance to speak. We want this to be a session where people feel free to express their views and where they can consider the views of others. Its okay to agree with others, and its okay to disagree as well. We just ask that you disagree with ideas, not with people. In other words, lets keep this constructive and avoid getting personal. Are we ready to get started?
Time: _______to_______
Time: _______to_______
F. Interim Summary
After the Choicework phase of your discussion, take 10 minutes or so to work with the group on the three summary questions listed below for this first phase of the conversation. Recorder: If you havent done so already, put up three flip chart pages labeled Common Ground, Concerns/Disagreements and Outstanding Questions. (We recommend putting them up at the start, to save time and because they can be helpful along the way.) Explain to the group that youll be covering all three summary topics in a limited amount of time, and encourage everyone to focus. Begin with number one, though you might jump around as the discussion unfolds. In our conversation today, have we discovered any common ground? What do we agree on or have in common? What were things we have concerns or disagreements about? Things we might have to keep talking about to work out our differences and move ahead? What are the outstanding questions that need more attention? Are there issues about which we need more information?
Tips for Managing the Interim Summary Important: You should briefly process each suggestion by a group member to make sure most people are comfortable with having it go up on one of the charts. For example, ask, Does everyone agree that was an area of common ground? before putting it up on the chart. If the issue cant be resolved quickly, it can become a question for further discussion on the Questions/Concerns chart. It is important to discourage people from introducing new material here the task is to sum up the previous conversation, not begin a new one. This is one place where you can introduce your own observations, as can the recorder. For example, if the group is missing a point of disagreement that you recall clearly, you might say, I seem to recall some disagreement about ________. Is that accurate?
We dont need 100% agreement to list something as Common Ground, as long as most people agree. Minority views can usually be noted under Outstanding Questions.
Time: _______to_______
Time: _______to_______
Time: _______to_______
When the discussion concludes, ask participants to fill out the surveys in their packets. Ask participants to fill out their surveys BEFORE returning to the large group, and to leave completed surveys with you. Please return all completed surveys you collect to the Community Conversation organizers. Also, be sure to remind people how important the final large group plenary is. Thats where everyone will have a chance to hear from the other groups and will talk as a large group about the best way to follow up this Community Conversation. As people return to the large group meeting place, work with your recorder to get your notes in order for the recap presentation, which will cover the three biggest priorities from the groups Part 2 discussion and ideas for next steps.
50 minutes
Brainstorming Ideas for Action & Collaboration (30 minutes) Prioritizing Actionable Ideas (10 minutes) Identifying Next Steps (10 minutes)
MODERATOR NOTES
2.
3.
Next Steps:
Additional Notes
Objetivos
El objetivo primordial de esta Conversacin Comunitaria es el de crear un dilogo productivo entre los miembros de un sector transversal y diverso de la comunidad, que permita: Establecer lneas de comunicacin entre miembros diversos de la comunidad. Compartir ideas y puntos de vista de este tema. Obrando de esta manera, nos concentraremos especficamente en identificar aquellas reas de inters mutuo, aclarar cualquier desacuerdo que haya e identificar preguntas e inquietudes.
Crear una tormenta de ideas y dar prioridad a las formas en que la comunidad pueden coordinar sus esfuerzos de la mejor manera para avanzar en el tema en cuestin.
Otros objetivos importantes del moderador: Crear un ambiente donde la gente se sienta cmoda expresando sus ideas.
Estas sesiones se preparan cuidadosamente a fin de proporcionar un ambiente en el cual la gente pueda explorar con franqueza su propia forma de pensar y las opiniones de otros y participar en dilogos constructivos y estimulantes acerca de las inquietudes pblicas de importancia. El moderador puede contribuir estableciendo para la sesin un tono que sea relajado, pero que no se aparte del objetivo de la reunin y un modelo de comunicacin franco y directo, pero que sea al mismo tiempo corts y respetuoso.
Prestar ayuda para que las personas examinen sus propios puntos de vista, comprendan las opiniones de otros y se comuniquen con efectividad con los diversos miembros de la comunidad acerca de los temas.
En encuestas realizadas a la conclusin de un debate, la mayora de los participantes dijeron que haban escuchado opiniones que si bien eran diferentes a las suyas, tenan mrito y que haban reconsiderado
uno de sus propios puntos de vista por lo menos una vez. Los moderadores pueden hacer que esto sea factible animando a las personas a que examinen sus puntos de vista, los expresen y expliquen claramente y escuchen (y quiz respondan) a las opiniones de otros.
Aclarar cuestiones sobre el tema que se est tratando y seguir adelante con el estado del debate interno.
Una vez ms, el objetivo no es el de lograr que se llegue a un acuerdo perfecto. Ms bien, es el hacer posible que se lleve a cabo un debate positivo y estimulante entre partes iguales y que permita que las diversas opiniones sean expresadas y se analicen. De esta manera, esperamos que dialogando se definan:
Las reas de inters mutuo. Las inquietudes o desacuerdos importantes sobre los cuales se necesita continuar debatiendo. Los temas pendientes que merecen se les preste mayor atencin. Las formas en que la comunidad puede actuar en conjunto para avanzar en el tema en cuestin.
El resto de la presente gua lo llevar paso a paso a travs de cada una de las partes del debate en ms detalle.
Hora: _______hasta_______
B. Presentaciones
Establezca una rueda de presentaciones que sea breve. Le recomendamos que haga un cuadro de los asientos para que sepa dnde estn sentadas las personas a medida que dirije el debate. Tome nota de si alguien es un miembro de la facultad, un padre, un propietario comercial local, un estudiante, etc. Esto lo ayudar a manejar el debate, especialmente al principio cuando se est esforzando para que todos participen. Nota: Si no se han hecho los preparativos necesarios para que est presente un anotador, entonces tendr que encontrar un voluntario.
C. Normas Bsicas
Hable de cualquier norma simple que quiera aplicar al debate. Por ejemplo, podr decir algo que se asemeje a lo siguiente: Actuemos en conjunto para que el debate se mantenga en perspectiva y para asegurarnos de todos tiene la misma oportunidad de hablar.
Nuestro deseo es que esta reunin sea un lugar donde la gente pueda expresar sus opiniones libremente y asimismo considere las de otros. Est bien si se est de acuerdo con otros, y tambin est bien si se est en desacuerdo. Solamente les pedimos que estn en desacuerdo con las ideas, no con las personas en s. En otras palabras, mantengamos esta reunin en forma constructiva y evitemos dirigirnos a otros negativamente de manera personal.
Hora: _______hasta_______
Luego, empiece preguntndoles por qu se inclinaron de una manera u otra. De ese modo, usted ya est listo y las cosas estn en marcha. Asegrese de empezar con los que no son maestros (un padre o dos, un estudiante, un empleador) y luego traiga las voces de uno o ms educadores. Nuestro real objetivo en ese momento es hacer que las personas del grupo empiecen a pensar y a conversar entre s mismas. Si las personas solamente hablan con usted en calidad de moderador y no entre s mismas, puede resultarle til que conecte los puntos opuestos para que puedan reaccionar entre s mismas un poco. Por ejemplo, puede invitar a un proponente del Planteamiento 1 a que responda a un comentario hecho por un campen del Planteamiento 3. De ese modo, los integrantes del grupo se harn de la idea de que est bien reaccionar directamente a los comentarios de otros.
Hora: _______hasta_______
F. Resumen intermedio
Despus de la fase "Choicework" de su conversacin, tmese unos 10 minutos para trabajar con el grupo acerca de las tres preguntas resumen que se presentan a continuacin, preparadas para esta primera fase del debate. Anotador: Si todava no lo ha hecho, monte tres pginas del rotafolio caratuladas De inters mutuo, Inquietudes/desacuerdos y Cuestiones pendientes. (Recomendamos que se monten al principio para ahorrar tiempo y tambin porque pueden ser de utilidad durante el curso del debate.) Explquele al grupo que va a cubrir tres tpicos en forma de resumen dentro de un tiempo limitado y pdale a todos que se concentren. Empiece con la pregunta nmero uno, aunque podr saltar de una a otra a medida que la conversacin se desarrolla. En nuestra conversacin de hoy, hemos encontrado alguna causa en comn? En qu estamos de acuerdo o qu tenemos en comn? Cales fueron las cosas que nos inquietaron o sobre las cuales no estuvimos de acuerdo, cosas sobre las cuales debamos continuar conversando para combatir nuestras diferencias y poder seguir adelante? Cales son las cuestiones pendientes a las que es necesario prestarle mayor atencin? Hay tpicos respecto de los cuales necesitamos obtener mayor informacin?
Recomendaciones para el manejo del resumen intermedio Importante: Brevemente, procese cada una de las sugerencias hechas por un miembro del grupo a fin de asegurarse de que la mayora de las personas se sienten cmodas en que se las anote en una de las hojas del rotafolio. Por ejemplo, podr preguntar Estn todos de acuerdo de que sa era un rea de inters mutuo? antes de colocarla en la hoja. Si el asunto no puede ser resuelto rpidamente, puede llegar a ser una cuestin sobre la cual se necesita continuar conversando para despus colocarla en el cuadro correspondiente a Preguntas/Inquietudes. Es importante en esta etapa no animar a las personas que presenten materiales nuevos, ya que se trata de resumir la conversacin anterior, no empezar una nueva. Este es el momento en que podr introducir sus propias observaciones, como as tambin podr hacerlo el anotador. Por ejemplo, si al grupo se le escap algn punto de desacuerdo que usted recuerda claramente, podr decir Me parece recordar que hubo desacuerdo con respecto a ________. Es as o no?
No es necesario que la gente est de acuerdo en un 100% para poder anotar algo en la categora de Inters Mutuo, nicamente que la mayora est de acuerdo. Los puntos de vista de la minora por lo general se pueden anotar en la lista de Preguntas Pendientes.
Anotador: Empiece una hoja nueva en el rotafolio y escriba el ttulo de esta seccin en la parte superior.
Hora: _______hasta_______
Hora: _______hasta_______
2. Qu les agradara ver que ocurra para dar seguimiento a la conversacin de hoy? Dirija esta parte del debate con las personas sentadas en un crculo alrededor suyo. Vaya alrededor del crculo y pdale a cada participante del grupo que comparta su ideas cuando le toca el turno. Si es necesario, podr estimularlos para que piensen acerca de la pregunta nmero dos, preguntndoles lo siguiente: Hay algn aspecto en particular del tema tratado en el da de hoy sobre el cual necesitamos volver a conversar juntos y al que le debemos dedicar ms tiempo? (De ser as, cul es?) Hay otros temas que deberamos abordar, adems de los que cubrimos hoy? Cmo podramos incluir a ms personas en el debate? Cul sera una buena idea? (Suponiendo que ste es el caso): En la ltima parte de la conversacin, hubo varias ideas estratgicas de inters mutuo. Cmo podramos usarlas? Una vez concluida la conversacin, pdale a los participantes que llenen la encuesta que se encuentra en sus paquetes. Pdale a los participantes que llenen la encuesta ANTES de volver a reunirse con el grupo grande y que se las entreguen a usted. Srvase devolver todas las encuestas llenas que haya recogido a los organizadores de la Conversacin Comunitaria. Asimismo, asegrese de recordarle a la gente que el plenario final del grupo grande es muy importante. Que ah es donde todos tendrn la oportunidad de enterarse de lo que opinan los otros grupos y conversar, como grupo grande, sobre la mejor forma de dar seguimiento a la Conversacin Comunitaria de ese da. Cuando la gente se haya ido para reunirse con el grupo grande, trabaje junto con su anotador para poner las notas en orden y usarlas en la disertacin de recapitulacin, la cual cubrir las tres prioridades principales del grupo durante la segunda parte del debate e ideas para los prximos pasos a seguir.
50 minutos
Hora: _______hasta_______ Hora: _______hasta_______ Hora: _______hasta_______
2.
3.
Notas Adicionales
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HOST GUIDE
The Hosts Role
The main tasks that the host must manage are convening and facilitating the opening and closing plenary sessions and explaining to the participants what to expect during the course of the evening.
Nuts-and-Bolts Overview
After the host has welcomed everyone to the event and the few speakers have made their addresses, its time to explain the flow of the evening. The basic message is, Now that youve been welcomed and have some idea why were here, Im going to tell you how were going to accomplish our goals tonight. It is generally useful to emphasize the following pointsalthough if earlier speakers cover some of them, you can edit. Use whatever language works best for you, of course, and leave yourself 5 to 10 minutes. Well be moving into small groups in a few minutes, where the real work of the session will take place. Youll notice that on your nametag is a [number, letter, color]. That tells you which group youll be going to. [Give directions as needed.] In each group youll find a cross section of your community, a moderator [or moderators] who will help keep the conversation moving along, a recorder to keep a record of the major points being made and a 10-minute video that will help you get the discussion started.
The goal is to have an honest exchange of views among a diverse cross section of the community on the important issue at hand. Through this Community Conversation, we will identify areas of common ground, as well as those areas where we disagree or need more information. We do not expect to arrive at a perfect consensus or a complete action plan at the end of one meeting, but we do think we can take an important step toward greater consensus and toward developing ways of working together that can help our community make progress on the issue at hand.
Were hoping for a dialogue thats frank and honest and thats also positive, constructive. We urge you to take the time to listen to one another, try to understand one anothers points of views and, if you disagree, to disagree with ideas, not with individuals. Most of all, enjoy yourselves and make the most of this opportunity to learn from one another.
After your small group discussion, well all come back together for a short ending session here to compare notes and talk about follow-up and where we go from here. If you have any questions about the session, your moderator will be able to help you with themor talk to anyone whose name tag reads Staff.
Reporting Out
Its your job as host to facilitate the reporting-out process, whereby the recorder or moderator of each group reports back the highlights of its discussion once the small groups are over. We recommend that the report-outs cover the following items only: Top three priorities for action Next steps for forum follow-up
We recommend the following procedure for small group reports: All recorders and moderators (or conversation participants if they are doing the reportout) should convene at the front of the room near the microphone, with the
appropriate notes ready to go. Remind the audience that these reports will describe a few highlights and that a fuller report on the conversation will be forthcoming. Choose one person to begin the reporting (where there are good notes and the person who will be handling the report is confident). This individual will give the most complete report of his or her groups discussion of priorities for action and ideas for next steps (in 3 minutes or less). The person reporting should identify his or her group before launching into the report. Each subsequent group report will add a few highlights concerning similarities or differences from the first report, but go into less detail. In this way, you keep the reports fresh and avoid the tiresome repetition that can take place. As the reports are being made, have one of the recorders keep a master list of next steps, so that at the end of the series of reports you, as host, can review the next steps list for the whole group, emphasizing the most common themes. Make sure that all the notes from the small groupsand especially their report-out notesare collected for the post-conversation report that the Follow-Up workgroup will be responsible for.
Closing Remarks
Some basic talking points for the closing remarks might include the following: Thank the participants for their time and effort in attending the Community Conversation. Emphasize again (as was done in the opening plenary) that notes from the small groups and the surveys will be summarized and distributed to participants. If other follow-up activities are already planned that you are aware of, make sure to let participants know about those as well. Optional: If you have a portable microphone or microphone stand stationed in the audience, or if the group is not too large, you can ask if anyone from the audience would like to make any comments. This can lead to some final thoughts about what people thought about the session and where they think the process should go next. Again urge participants to drop off their surveys before leaving. These should have been distributed to participants as they returned from their small groups.